Top-Ranked Trinity Edges Connecticut College to Go 6-0

NEW LONDON, Conn--Top ranked Trinity College earned a 9-7 victory at Connecticut College Wednesday night. The Bantams improve their record to 6-0 and are 3-0 in NESCAC play. The Camels slip to 2-5 with a 0-5 record in league action.

Hadley Duncan (Rye, N.Y.) and Shea Kusiak (Longmeadow, Mass.) both had two goals and an assist for the winning side. Molly Cox (Norwell, Mass.) chipped in with two scores. Megan Leonhard (Summit, N.J.) collected a game-high five draw controls.

Trinity built a 4-2 lead when Kusiak scored in an unsettled situation for the visitors, collecting a ground ball and sprinting to the cage for a goal with 13:20 left in the opening half. Exactly two minutes later, the Bantams tacked on another score when Kathleen Timmons (Branford, Conn.) connected with Duncan at the far post side of the goal in a 2-on-1 situation versus the keeper.

But Haley Dumke (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and Abbott scored the next two goals for Connecticut College to trim the deficit to 5-4. With 1:42 to play in the first stanza, Haley Thompson (Ipswich, Mass.) netted a free position goal and it was a 6-4 Trinity advantage in the break.

In the second stanza, the Camels clamped down at the defensive end. With 25:09 remaining, Cataldo provided the home team with a huge lift when she went down to her knees to deny Caroline Hayes (Greenland, N.H.) on a prime scoring chance.

At the offensive end, the Camels continued to chip away at the lead. With just over nine minutes left, Hogan collected a ground ball and cleared the Trinity zone, pushing the ball ahead to Abbott, who assisted Miller for her third goal of the game and it was an 8-7 contest with 9:12 to play.

But the Bantams did not lose focus and with 6:07 left, Cox collected a rebound and flicked it in in one motion to push the lead to 9-7. The Camels could not get any closer and the visitors escaped with the 9-7 win.

Trinity held an 18-to-15 advantage in ground balls and owned a 12-to-6 edge in draw controls.